C1idiominformalfoodIELTS-friendly
have bigger fish to fry
USUK
to have more important things to deal with
'Fish' is plural with no -s. British English also says 'other fish to fry'.
In context
Forget the small typo; we have bigger fish to fry before the launch tomorrow.
The police had bigger fish to fry than a teenager without a helmet.
Common mistake
Incorrect: Sorry, I have bigger fishes to fry.
Correct: Sorry, I have bigger fish to fry.
More idioms about food
- a bad appleone bad person who has a bad effect on the rest of a group
- a couch potatoa person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching TV instead of being active
- a different kettle of fisha completely different situation from the one just mentioned
- a finger in every pieinvolved in many different activities, often to get power
- a meal ticketa person or thing that someone uses as a source of money or support